so much for democracy in the EU

I can't believe how low the patent lobby and their corrupt cronies in the EU will sink.

Now they are trying to pass a software patent law without discussion, after abandoning the agreed and reasonable amendments made in the parliament.

It is doubly sneaky as only last week it was kicked into touch and not up for discussion until well into next year, while now it will be passed by ministers for either the environment or fisheries at the last eu council meeting of the year just before christmas.

I'm starting to agree with the UKIP party that the EU really is a corrupt and undemocratic organisation - what was the point of electing MEPs if a secret and unaccountable cabal of unelected diplomats make the agreements between themselves against the will of parliament and the people who voted.

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The problem isn't the EU, it's the big governments really. The big governments like to complain about the EU, but in reality they always get their way. It's a convenient scape-goat to blame the EU, when it's their own ministers that rammed the legislation though against the wishes of the people, the EU and various national parliaments and common sense.

Yes the EU does need cleaning up, and giving it clarity and transfering power from the unelected commission to the parliament would be a good start.

now it will be passed by ministers for either the environment or fisheries.

But at another you say:

a secret and unaccountable cabal of unelected diplomats make the agreements between themselves.

The vast majority of ministers in EU countries are elected members of their national parliaments. Those that aren't are still accountable to their national governments and through them to the electorate. If anything, the *un*elected minis

There's plenty of stuff governments do which was never in their manifestoes. It's called "reacting to events". People would whine just as much if they didn't react to events as you are about them reacting to events.

The *results* of ministerial discussions are accountable to and reversible by parliament. Parliament is sovereign above *all* other bodies, and can ignore EU directives if it sees fit. Parliament can also impeach ministers who refuse to do as they are told.